“Look, a Corgi!” A phrase often used when
people happen to pass by a foxy, stubby-legged, cute little dog. Although
calling any small working dog a Corgi is acceptable, these people are referring
to two breeds in particular: the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the Cardigan Welsh
Corgi. In ancient Welsh, the word “Cor” meant “dwarf”, the word “cur” meant
“working”, and the word, “gi” meant “dog.” Since the Pembrokes and Cardigans
were the only herding dogs existing in Wales until 1800, they commonly became
known as Corgis. But though these two dogs share a name, in truth, the Cardigan
and the Pembroke Corgis developed as quite different canine breeds. The only
similarities about the two are their foxy appearance and their origins in Wales.

A major difference in the Pembroke and Cardigan
Corgis is their ancestry. They come from different blood lines. In Richard Alice
Fienne’s The Natural History ofDogs, he describes four groups of
dog descendants: The Mastiff Group, the Dingo Group, the Greyhound Group, and
the Northern Group.

The Cardigans’ belong in the Mastiff Group,
where their ancestors can be traced back to mountain Tibetan wolf types.
Cardigans began as scent hounds brought to the county of Cardiganshire, Wales by
the Celts from central Europe as early as 1200 BC. There the scent hounds, which
may have been the Basset Hound or Dachshund, were crossbred with existing Welsh
heeling breeds, producing the Cardigan Welsh Corgi. When found to be too
aggressive herding sheep, some Cardigans were crossbred with the Welsh Collie,
which is how some today have developed a blue merle color. As time progressed,
they developed their personal name, “Ci Llathaid,” meaning, “by the yard,” since
their length measured about the length of a Welsh yard (40 inches). So time went
by and the Cardigan Welsh Corgi bred and grew up in Cardiganshire, Wales.

The Pembrokes’ (otherwise known as “Cwn Sodi;”
Welsh for “heeling dog) belong in the Northern Group, whose ancestors can be
traced back to Northern wolves who migrated around lake settlements of Hungary,
Switzerland, and Russia during the Neolithic Age. There are several theories,
however, of how Pembroke Welsh Corgis came into existence in Wales. One tells of
a spitz-like breed arriving in Wales with the Flemish weavers from England to
Wales around 1107 AD, while another tells of the Vikings of Norway bringing the
spitz dogs around the ninth and tenth century on their forays to Wales. There is
barely any doubt that either the Swedish Vallhund or Lundehunds were these spitz
dogs who were crossbred to produce the famous dogs that grew up in the county of
Pembrokeshire, Wales called Pembroke Welsh Corgis.

The first recorded history about these small
herding dogs from Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire is by King Hywel Dda, King of
South Wales. He wrote a law in 920 AD prohibiting any abuse to these two breeds,
since these dogs played a very important role to the poor Welsh farmers who
owned them, and, in fact, were considered part of the family. Despite their
different heritages, though, they did the same jobs. By day, they would work
hard herding sheep and cattle in the fields. By night, the Pembrokes and
Cardigans would protect their families from danger. As later came to pass, they
would serve as nannies for the children and would round up and pen the poultry,
as well as driving large flocks to market.

Although the Pembrokes and Cardigans share a
very similar fox-like appearance, the fact that they have separate origins can
be physically demonstrated. A major physical difference between the two breeds
of canines is the tail. Pembroke Welsh Corgis do not have tails. It is not
certain on how this came to be, but currently most Pembrokes are born tailless.
They are docked if not. In Wales, when the Pembrokes herded the cows, the cows
would often step on their tails and injure the dogs, so the farmers docked them.
Now they are just docked if not born tailless to adhere to the breed standard.
The Cardigans, however, do have tails. In the Cardigan breed standard, Cardigans
are specifically supposed to have tails with fox-like brushes that reach well
below the hock.

Other, more minor physical differences, relate
to differences in bodily proportions, such as height and weight. The ideal
height of a Cardigan is 10.5 – 12.5 inches at the shoulder, whereas a Pembroke’s
is 10-12 inches. In weight, the ideal Cardigan dog weight should not exceed 38
pounds and the Cardigan bitch’s should not exceed 34 pounds. But in the
Pembrokes, the dog’s weight should not exceed 30 pounds and bitch’s should not
exceed 25. A lot of weight differences have to do with the fact that Cardigans
are bigger boned. They’re taller at the shoulders, have a longer body, and are
deeper at the chest. The deeper, wider chest causes the Cardigan’s forearms to
curve around the rib cage, while the Pembroke’s forearms only have a slight
bend. Another difference is in their ears. The Cardigan’s ears, unlike the
Pembrokes’ medium sized ears, are large and not in proportion with the head.

Other differences in the Cardigan and Pembroke
relate to coat color, show disqualifications and attitude. Cardigans have a wide
range of coat color, while in the Pembroke’s breed standard, they’re only
allowed a few in dog shows. Cardigans may be any shade of red, sable or brindle,
as well as being black, gray, or marbled with bits of white. The Pembrokes,
however, are only allowed to be red, sable, fawn, black and tan with bits of
white. When it comes to disqualifications in dog shows, Pembrokes have none
specifically listed, while Cardigans have a few: 1) Blue eyes or partially blue
eyes in any other coat other than blue merle. 2) Drop ears. 3) Nose other than
solid black other than blue merles. 4) Any coat color other than specified. 5)
Body color predominantly white. And lastly temper. Surprisingly, the two breeds
share a rather similar temper. But when compared, a Pembroke has a very bold
personality, while a Cardigan’s personality is more placid.

Pembroke and Cardigan Welsh Corgis both share a
recent history, where, at first, people couldn’t figure out the differences. In
1925, these breeds both made their first official appearance at the English
Kennel Club together under the name, “Welsh Corgi.” Rose, a Pembroke, won third
place overall under that breed category, “Welsh Corgi.” Later in December 1925,
the first Corgi Club was founded in Carmathen, Pembrokeshire, Wales. There, the
breed standard was written up for the Corgi, but listed traits of Pembrokes that
the Cardigans could not match. In 1926, due to the preference of Pembrokes in
the club, the Cardigan lover branched out and formed their own Cardigan club in
Wales. In 1928, the Kennel Club of the UK officially recognized these two breeds
and gave them champion status, but, mistakenly, listed them both as Welsh
Corgis. Rose was the first one registered. In 1931, a rule was passed in the UK
stating that docking of Pembroke Corgis’ tails was prohibited, so that the two
breeds would seem more alike. But to the judges of the dog shows, they still
physically weren’t. Judges started showing preference for whichever breed was
their favorite, and in Corgi shows they would always give the award to their
favorite breed. Finally, in 1934, the Kennel Club of the UK gave the Pembrokes
and Cardigans separate status and abolished the tail docking rule.

Meanwhile, the Pembroke Welsh
Corgi was being introduced to someone who would bring the breed future fame and
glory. Mrs. Thelma Gray, owner of the Pembroke Rozavel Red Dragon and founder of
the Welsh Corgi League in England, introduced Pembroke puppies to the Duke of
York, later King George IV. The Duke gave them to his daughters, Elizabeth and
Margaret Rose. Ever since, the royal family favors and keeps as pets their
beloved Pembroke Welsh Corgis, of whom Queen Elizabeth II is very proud. The
publicity of her pets increased their popularity all over the world, especially
in British or formerly British dominated areas, leaving the Cardigan to sit in
the Pembroke’s shadow.

Although they were never quite as
popular, the Cardigans were the first to arrive in the United States. The first
dogs, Cassie and Cando, arrived there in June 1931 with their owner, Mrs. Robert
Bole. Three years later, the first Pembroke, Little Madam, arrived in the United
States with her owner, Mrs. Lewis. That same year she was registered with the
American Kennel Club under Pembroke Welsh Corgi. In 1935, Blodwen of Robinscroft
was registered as the first Cardigan in the American Kennel Club. A year later,
both the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club and the Cardigan Welsh Corgi Club held their
first meetings. In 1949, Uncle Sam was the first corgi to win all-breed Best in
Show in the US under the breed category, “Pembroke Welsh Corgi.” To this day,
the Pembroke ranks 26th in the American Kennel Club out of
one-hundred-fifty breeds, and the Cardigan ranks 85th.

Altogether, even though the
common preference and use of the Pembrokes and Cardigans was in Wales, they
arrived from different areas of Europe at different times, and had bloodlines
that were derived from different ancestors. Today that difference in origin can
be seen through differences in their individual physical appearances,
temperaments, and histories. Despite the similarity in name, Pembrokes and
Cardigans are entirely separate breeds, and should therefore be treated so.